The world is eager for word on the condition of Robert Griffin III's knee, which he injured thanks to either his coach or his field or maybe the terms of Dan Snyder's deal with the devil. Mike Shanahan was less than forthcoming at his press conference today, so it's up to the DC-area media to get to the bottom of this.

This got some brief play on Twitter because it was the first concrete mention, no matter how speculative or specious, of a specific diagnosis. It got retweeted by some big media names, who were just passing it on—not vouching for it.

That appeared to be enough for Richmond TV station WRIC, which reported—in language that made it look like their own story—that Griffin's injury was confirmed.

Sources close to the Redskins camps say Robert Griffin III has torn his ACL and PCL, and will not be able to play for a minimum of 14-18 months.

ESPN Radio 980 quickly threw WRIC under the bus. Which means all of DC's media infighting, all of Redskins' fans stress and worry, all this fruitless scramble for news that's not going to even be known by the team until tomorrow at the earliest—it's all Fred Smoot's fault.